Self-closing door hinge



July 23, 1963 w. B. RUIZ SELF-CLOSING DOOR HINGE Filed March 1, 1961 24 III (QR F I G- 3 FIG.

INVENTOR. William B Ruiz F I G- Attorney States Unite My invention relates to door hinges and is directed particularly to an improved spring-actuated self-closing door hinge.

Self-closing door hinges of the type having a torsion spring arranged about the hinge pintle and adapted to resiliently constrain the hinge leaves in door closing position are known. Such hinges, commonly used on screen doors, have a tendency to accelerate the door into closed position when the door is released from an open position, to slam into the door frame With considerable force. This acceleration is due to the fact that the inertia of the door when at its stationary open position is only gradually overcome by the action of the spring as the door closes. This action is a source of much annoyance, especially when doors so equipped are used in public places where there is much traihc, or when used by children in the home running in and out of the house without properly handling the door. In an attempt to overcome this disadvantage in spring-actuated hinges, various types of snubbers and piston actuated decelerators have been devised to neutralize this slamming action of spring hinges, Such devices, however, are expensive to install and unsightly in appearance, and therefore have found only limited use as an adjunct to spring hinges.

It is accordingly the principal object of my invention to provide, in a self-closing door hinge having a torsion spring, means for retarding the accelerating action of the torsion spring on the hinge leaves so as to close the door at an even, comparatively slow rate without slamming.

A more particular object is to provide a self-closing door hinge of the above nature wherein the retarding means comprises a helical compression spring supported in surrounding relation with respect to the pintle, a first cam member slidingly arranged with respect to one of the hinge leaves and abutting against one end of the compression spring, and second eam member fixed with respect to the other hinge leaf and cooperatively arranged with respect to the first cam member, whereby a variable force will be applied to the hinge leaves in a direction opposed to that of the torsion spring in a manner to inhibit acceleration of the door while closing.

Still another object is to provide a self-closing door hinge mechanism of the character described including means for adjusting the counter-force of the cam-actuated compression spring to further control the force with which a door equipped with such a hinge or hinges will shut.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a self-closing door hinge of the above nature which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install and adjust, and fool-proof in operation.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description when considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numbers denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a door hinge embodying the invention, shown in open position,

FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale showing, in elevation, how the lower end of the compression spring is supported on the hinge pintle,

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary View on an enlarged scale and in vertical cross-section, illustrating details of the adjust- 3,d-98,253 Patented July 23, 1963 r. n rd ing mechanism at the upper end of the hinge pintle, and

FIG. 6 is a top view showing the hinge installed, portions of the door and door frame being cut away.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, 10 in FIG. 1 designates generally a self-closing door hinge embodying my invention, the same comprising a pair of hinge leaves 11, 12 having counter-sunk attachment screw holes 13, 14 respectively, a pintle 15, a torsion spring 16 and a compression spring 17. The hinge leaf 12 is formed along one side with a pair of aligned end pintle-receiving knuckles 18, 19 and an intermediate pintle-receiving knuckle 23. The hinge leaf 11 is formed with aligned pintle-receiving knuckles 21, 22 registering with and abutting the inner ends of the end knuckles 18, 19 of the hinge leaf 12, and an intermediate pintle-receiving knuckle 20 registered with and abutting the upper end of the intermediate pintle-receiving knuckle 23 of the hinge leaf 12. The pintle 15 extends through the aligned openings of the registering leaf knuckles 18 through 23. The helical torsion spring 16 is disposed circumjacent the pintle 15 between the upper end of the lower pintle-receiving knuckle 22 of the hinge leaf 11, and the lower end of the intermediate pintle-receiving knuckle 23 of the hinge leaf 12. As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, one end 24 of the torsion spring 16 is hooked behind the inner longitudinal edge of the hinge leaf 11, and the ot er end 25 of said spring is hooked behind the inner longitudinal edge of the hinge leaf 12, whereby said hinge leaves are resiliently constrained into closing position.

Means is provided for counter-acting the closing action of the torsion spring 16. To this end, the lower end of the pintle-receiving knuckle 21 of the hinge leaf 11 is cut at an angle to provide a cam surface 26. Slidably arranged on the pintle 15 is a cylindrical cam member 27 having a cam surface 28 in cooperative relatively sliding disposition against the cam surface 26 of the hinge leaf 11. The movable cam member 27 is formed with a longitudinally grooved side portion 29 which rides along the inside marginal edge portion of the hinge 12. The compression spring 17 is arranged circumjacent the pintle 15 between the lower end of the cam member 27 and a stop pin 30 fitted in a transverse bore in said pintle. The upper end of the pintle 15 is threaded as indicated at 31, to receive thereon an adjustment nut 32 and a lock nut 33, each of which is provided with a plurality of radial openings 34 to permit adjustment by means of a spanner wrench.

In operation, closure of the hinge (and consequently closure of the door, as illustrated in PEG. 6) by action of the torsion spring 16 in the usual manner is resisted by the compressional reactive force of the spring 17, since closure of the hinge necessitates downward sliding motion against said spring by action of the cam surface 26 against the cam surface 28 of movable cam member 29. The spring and cam arrangement is such that as the hinge approaches fully closed position increased resistance results so that instead of accelerating into closed position with a slam, a door will slow up into shut position with just enough force to insure full closure. Turning of the adjustment nut 32 permits easy pre-setting of the compression of the spring 17 to accommodate doors of different size or weight.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form in which my invention can conveniently be embodied in practice it is to be understood that this form is presented by way of example only and not in a limiting sense. In short, my invention includes all the forms and embodiments coming Within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a self-closing door hinge, the combination com- 3 prising, a pair of hinge leaves having interfitting knuckles providing a common pivotal opening, a pintle received in said pivotal opening and holding said hinge leaves in relative swinging relation, a first cylindrical cam member secured to one of said hinge leaves and surrounding said pintle and having at one end a flat cam surface inclined to the longitudinal axis of said pintle, a second cylindrical cam member slidably arranged on said pintle and having guide means constraining said second cam member to movement along an edge portion of the other of said hinge leaves in the direction of said longitudinal axis, said second cylindrical cam member having at one end a fiat cam surface face-to-face in abutment With said cam surface of said first cam member When said hinge leaves are in substantially fully open position, means for resiliently constraining said second cam member into abutting relation with said first cam member for urging said hinge leaves in substantially fully open position, a torsion spring circumjacent said pintle and having end portions hookingly engaged over opposed marginal edge portions of said hinge leaves, said torsion spring being so arranged and stressed to normally urge said hinge leaves in relatively closed position in opposition to the urging of said second cam member constraining means, said second cam member constraining means comprising a helical compression spring circumjacent said pintle, one end of said compression spring being secured against axial movement in the outward direction with respect to said pintle, and the other end of said compression spring being in abutment against the other end of said second cam member.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 including means for adjusting the compression of said compression spring.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said compression spring adjustment means comprises a threaded portion at the end of said pintle adjacent said cam members, and an adjustment nut threaded on said threaded portion and adapted to seat against the outer end of an outer one of said hinge knuckles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Shock Jan. 28, 1913 

1. IN A SELF-CLOSING DOOR HINGE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A PAIR OF HINGE LEAVES HAVING INTERFITTING KNUCKLES PROVIDING A COMMON PIVOTAL OPENING, A PINTLE RECEIVED IN SAID PIVOTED OPENING AND HOLDING SAID HINGE LEAVES IN RELATIVE SWINGING RELATION, A FIRST CYLINDRICAL CAM MEMBER SECURED TO ONE OF SAID HINGE LEAVES AND SURROUNDING SAID PINTLE AND HAVING AT ONE END A FLAT CAM SURFACE INCLINED TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID PINTLE, A SECOND CYLINDRICAL CAM MEMBER SLIDABLE ARRANGED ON SAID PINTLE AND HAVING GUIDE MEANS CONSTRAINING SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER TO MOVEMENT ALONG AN EDGE PORTION OF THE OTHER OF SAID HINGE LEAVES IN THE DIRECTION OF SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, SAID SECOND CYLINDRICAL CAM MEMBER HAVING AT ONE END A FLAT CAM SURFACE FACE-TO-FACE IN ABUTMENT WITH SAID CAM SURFACE OF SAID FIRST CAM MEMBER WHEN SAID HINGE LEAVES ARE IN SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY OPEN POSITION, MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY CONSTRAINING SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER INTO ABUTTING RELATION WITH SAID FIRST CAM MEMBER FOR URGING SAID HINGE LEAVES IN SUBSTANTIALLY FULLY OPEN POSITION, A TORSION SPRING CIRCUMJACENT SAID PINTLE AND HAVING END PORTIONS HOOKINGLY ENGAGED OVER OPPOSED MARGINAL EDGE PORTIONS OF SAID HINGE LEAVES, SAID TORSION SPRING BEING SO ARRANGED AND STRESSED TO NORMALLY URGE SAID HINGE LEAVES IN RELATIVELY CLOSED POSITION IN OPPOSITION TO THE URGING OF SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER CONSTRAINING MEANS, SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER CONSTRAINING MEANS COMPRISING A HELICAL COMPRESSION SPRING CIRCUMJACENT SAID PINTLE, ONE END OF SAID COMPRESSION SPRING BEING SECURED AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT IN THE OUTWARD DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID PINTLE, AND THE OTHER END OF SAID COMPRESSION SPRING BEING IN ABUTMENT AGAINST THE OTHER END OF SAID SECOND CAM MEMBER. 